Better control of mosquito-borne diseases through mosquito genomics:
New technologies to control mosquitoes and diseases they transmit are developing rapidly – from the natural pathogen-blocking symbiotic bacteria to the engineered “selfish genes”. In creating and assessing new mosquito control technologies, we take the approach “from the field – to the lab – back to the field”.
This means that we study natural mosquito populations, do laboratory experiments, and aim to produce practical solutions for field deployment. In doing so, we generate and analyse genomic and other “omics” data from a single mosquito cell to a system of mosquito populations.
We use genomics to understand how mosquitoes move, mate and survive in different environments so that we can find optimal control strategies (spatial population genomics, simulation modelling), and to identify new targets for genetic control (molecular biology).
We collaborate with the leading scientists in Australia, USA, Asia-Pacific and Europe to address the current challenges and predict future obstacles in protecting the communities in Queensland, Australia and around the globe from the mosquito-borne diseases.
Aedes aegypti – the main vector of deadly diseases like yellow fever and dengue
CURRENT RESEARCH
- Development of tools for innovative mosquito surveillance (close‑kin mark‑recapture methods to estimate mosquito demography and movement)
- Population and landscape genomics of arboviral and malaria mosquito vectors
- Optimization of Wolbachia-based programs
- Frameworks for the implementation of gene drive technology to control mosquito‑borne diseases
- New gene targets for the control of arbovirus and malaria vectors
- Development of mosquito genomic resources (genome assemblies and annotations, analytics workflows)
- Development of a biosecurity platform for exotic mosquitoes
- Dengue
- Zika
- Malaria
- Ross River Fever
- Japanese Encephalitis
Staff
- Dr Igor Filipović, Research Officer
- Jui-Hsuan Chang, Research Assistant
Internal Collaborators
- Mosquito Control Laboratory
External Collaborators
- John M Marshall (University of California, Berkeley)
- Louis Lambrechts (Institut Pasteur, Paris)
- Environmental Health Institute (National Environment Agency, Singapore)
- Brendan Trewin (CSIRO)
- Nigel Beebe (University of Queensland and CSIRO)
- Jennifer Bannan (Brisbane South State Secondary College)
- Hervé Bossin (Institut Louis Malardé, French Polynesia)
- Francoise Mathieu-Daude (Institute of Research for Development, France)
- Tanking Widarsa (Warmadewa University, Bali, Indonesia)
We gratefully acknowledge support from:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
- Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist, Queensland Government
PUBLICATIONS & PRE-PRINTS
- Rašić G, et al. Monitoring needs for gene drive mosquito projects: lessons from vector control field trials and invasive species. Frontiers in genetics 12, 780327 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2021.780327
- Rašić G, et al. Eliminating Aedes aegypti from its southern margin in Australia: insights from genomic data and simulation modelling. bioRxiv 2021.08.21.457232. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.21.457232
- Filipović I, et al.Using spatial genetics to quantify mosquito dispersal for control programs. BMC Biol 18, 104 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-020-00841-0
- Aubry F, et al. Enhanced Zika virus susceptibility of globally invasive Aedes aegypti Science 370(6519):991-996 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd3663
- Long KC, et al. Core commitments for field trials of gene drive organisms. Science 370(6523):1417-1419 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd1908
VIDEOS
Aedes aegypti in action
Mosquito sperm cells in action – single cells are being sequenced to find good gene-drive targets